Image Comics Solicitations for April 2014

Posted on January 21, 2014 by Ron Richards

April is right around the corner and Image Comics gives you even more than just springtime to look forward to. Coming your way in April are six new series, including the anxiously-anticipated SOUTHERN BASTARDS from Jason Aaron and Jason Latour, plus the collections of PRETTY DEADLY, VELVET, LAZARUS, MANHATTAN PROJECTS, and THREE. In addition to all that, plus over 50 new comics from your favorite series and creators, we've got three new t-shirts for you, featuring the fan-favorite characters of RAT QUEENS and THE WALKING DEAD!

Welcome to Craw County, Alabama, home of Boss BBQ, the state champion Runnin’ Rebs football team...and more bastards than you’ve ever seen. When you’re an angry old man like Earl Tubb, the only way to survive a place like this...is to carry a really big stick.

From the acclaimed team of JASON AARON and JASON LATOUR, the same bastards who brought you Scalped and Wolverine: Japan’s Most Wanted, comes a southern fried crime series that’s like the Dukes of Hazzard meets the Coen Brothers...on meth.

THE WALKING DEAD CREATOR ROBERT KIRKMAN WRITES INVINCIBLE!!!
A new beginning for INVINCIBLE as things take a turn down a dark path. Everything changes as Invincible is betrayed by one of his own. You won’t want to miss this explosive issue #1... 1... 1! It packs the punch of THREE relaunched number one issues! IN ONE BOOK!

A man wakes in a field wearing nothing but his underwear. He's got no idea who he is or how he got there. His only connection to the outside world a cell phone on which he receives mysterious texts warning him of impending danger. Danger like Christian, an ex-bible sales-man in the middle of crime spree fueled by Christian Rock, dirty sex, meth, murder and keeping this underwear clad, nameless and pastless man close by his side.

INDIANA JONES FOR THE 21ST CENTURY!
Marvel Knights: Hulk and GLORY writer JOE KEATINGE teams up with artist extraordinaire LEILA DEL DUCA for her Image Comics debut in an all-new ongoing series combining the urban fantasy of Fables and the globe-spanning adventure of Y: The Last Man. Kate Kristopher, once the most famous explorer of an Earth far more fantastic than the one we know, is forced to return to the adventurous life she left behind when a family secret threatens to destroy everything she spent her life protecting.

Dream Police Detectives Joe Thursday and Frank Stanford have been partners for as long as they can remember, patrolling the alternate universe of dreams, nightmares, and the great void beyond, an alternate but very real dimension of changelings, echoes, wisps, ethers, and nightwalkers, those who died in their sleep and wander the dreamscape forever. They've seen it all. But when Frank steps away and disappears...and the woman who returns says she's Joe's partner, that she's always been Joe's partner...he begins a journey into the unknown that will shake the dreaming down to its very foundations.

In a doom-shadowed Cambodia infested with the living dead, CIA Special Agent Declan Rule and his canine companion Nero stalk a human monster, a neurosurgeon bent on carrying out grisly experiments that turn P.O.W.s into vicious instruments of war. In Vietnam, Private Kuen Yam and his ragtag band of survivors battle their way across a murderous no-man’s-land in a desperate search for a ticket to the skies. The war is over, but the battle for humanity’s survival has just begun. Courage will be tested, sanity will be pushed to the breaking point and the rules of war...will be broken.

For fans of his gothic-tinged retail hell graphic novel NOT MY BAG, SINA GRACE (LI'L DEPRESSED BOY, BURN THE ORPHANAGE) presents a collection of rare and never-before-seen autobiographical strips! Packed with new stories for this edition, SELF-OBSESSED is packed with quirky and humorous insights about comics, love, dreams, and, of course, frenemies.

Mike Stone wants nothing more than to marry the woman of his dreams. Denise is smart, sexy, teaches the second grade, and loves Mike more than anything in the world. What she doesn’t know is that Mike is one of the world’s top assassins and was once engaged to a fellow assassin named Chloe. And when Mike abandoned Chloe on their wedding day, she vowed revenge...

This April, treat yourself to an issue of SHOTGUN WEDDING each Wednesday! All FOUR issues of Minotaur Press's latest miniseries will be released in April, and the covers for all four issues connect to form one larger image.

Determined to never be controlled by outside forces again, Aphrodite IX seeks revenge against those who manipulated her. Plus the secrets behind the generational models revealed by Aphrodite XV and Artemis IX.

A new arc, a new slim trade paperback format for ELEPHANTMEN, and, at $9.99, a great opportunity for new readers to start reading the book they've heard so much about! Jack Farrell is a private detective who never gave a second thought to the Elephantmen—until he was paid to.

THE ACCLAIMED APOCALYPTIC WAR SAGA COLLECTED IN ITS ENTIRETY!
ROSS CAMPBELL (Wet Moon, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles) and JOE KEATINGE (Marvel Knights: Hulk) finally collect their critically-acclaimed and brutally told saga of one warrior and her family torn apart by a millennia-old intergalactic war. This is the complete story, collected in its entirety for the very first time in a deluxe oversized hardcover edition. Includes never-before-seen sketchbook material, scripts, commentary, and interviews.

The second story arc in the New York Times bestselling series. Forever uncovers rebellion brewing in LA, and the Barrets, a family of "Waste," undertake a 500-mile journey to Denver in the hope that one of their family will be noticed by the Carlyles and "lifted" to Serf status.

It's the fourth volume of the world's greatest secret science history, THE MANHATTAN PROJECTS. "The Four Disciplines" follows our fractured cast as they focus on their own diverse, secret experiments and global power plays resulting in inevitable betrayal.

SPECIAL LOW INTRODUCTORY PRICE!
KELLY SUE DeCONNICK (Avengers Assemble, Captain Marvel) and EMMA RÍOS (Dr. Strange, Osborn) present the collected opening arc of their surprise-hit series that marries the magical realism of Sandman with the western brutality of Preacher. Death's daughter rides the wind on a horse made of smoke and her face bears the skull marks of her father. Her origin story is a tale of retribution as beautifully lush as it is unflinchingly savage.

In ancient Sparta, three Helot slaves run for their lives. Pursuing them are three hundred of their Spartan masters. KIERON GILLEN (PHONOGRAM, Iron Man), RYAN KELLY (Local, Saucer Country), and JORDIE BELLAIRE (THE MANHATTAN PROJECTS, NOWHERE MEN) join forces to tell a legend for our times. Includes cover gallery, making of material, and annotations.

SPECIAL LOW INTRODUCTORY PRICE!
From the bestselling creators of "Captain America: The Winter Soldier" comes this smash-hit spy thriller with a unique new twist!

When the world's greatest secret agent is killed, all evidence points to Velvet Templeton, the personal secretary to the Director of the Agency. But Velvet's got a dark secret buried in her past...because she's also the most dangerous woman alive.

The life of private investigator Allison Carter is complicated enough just preventing the end of the world on a regular basis. But in the midst of her latest case she gets an unexpected call from her mostly-dead ex-boyfriend, who has a tip that may prove helpful or push the world further toward its destruction. Along the way, she encounters a closet troll with a stun-gun fetish, a theme park filled with demonic creatures in happy costumes, and unravels a secret that will change her life forever.

In the fiery conclusion to Allison Carter's investigation, she at last comes face-to-face with the man trying to bring about the end of the world...who has been working in secret with someone close to her the whole time. If love can be a reason to live, can it also be a reason to destroy...everything? This time saving the world may require the ultimate sacrifice. Does Al have what it takes? Or must we all confront the possibility that there is an ominous reason that this is only a four-part series?

Tom Judge and Tilly track down students who used a math equation to open up a portal to the Ancient Ones (featured in THE DARKNESS: REBIRTH). Former Angelus and Witchblade bearer Daniel Baptiste investigates related murders.

Stranded in the most dangerous dimension yet, Grant McKay’s rage at his onetime boss boils over. Ignoring the chaos all around them, the two finally come to blows! Only one thing is certain: before the Pillar makes its next jump...one of them must die!

Don't miss the conclusion to the first arc of the world’s most mind-melting sci-fi comic!

GET READY FOR THE END OF THE WORLD!
Nothing you've seen so far could prepare you for the event that occurs in this issue! And the Bounce is at ground zero! After this, NOTHING will ever be the same! BUY IT AND LOVE IT!

Class trip! Marcus, Willie, and Saya tear through a neon-soaked Las Vegas, high on life...oh, and a bunch of acid too. And when you’re a teenage killer-on-the-run, stalked by a mutilated psycho with a raging hard-on for revenge, you’re in for one baaad trip.

"BACK TO CLASS," Part Four
Enrique, Principal O, and the Nurse unleash a full assault against Tyler in order to regain power of the school clubs. But Tyler isn’t going down without a fight because he has a secret weapon of his own: the fastest animal on earth...Principal Z’s cheetah.

"THE RUSSIA SHIFT," Part Three
Whoever thought two dead bums could be such a pain in the ass? Now even the Mayor's office is under scrutiny, but even an old Muscovite like Klem Ristovych knows that's a whole new bag of hurt to be poking.

"BIG GAME HUNTER," Part One
New Texas is growing, along with tensions between Chas Worthington's people and the nuclear-armed 'Little Chief,' whose mysterious band of outlaw tribesmen also call 'The Pack' their home. But when a hunter of weapons and men comes hunting both, Chas will have to pick sides...and risk a civil war!

The bad news: as blizzards rage across the globe, humanity’s fate rests with the Krampus deciding who he stands with—his oppressors in the Society of Santa Clauses or the mastermind who rendered them powerless. The worse news: the Krampus is no fan of humanity. The first storyline concludes here!

"BETWEEN THE DEVIL AND THE DEEP BLUE SEA"
Jack Harper and the crew of the Venture slip into enemy waters to rescue a British spy, code-named "Top Hat." Only their old adversary, Captain Tono of the Imperial Japanese Navy, spoils the party.

Mad king Icarus's destruction of the Great Ash Tree has galvanized the entire Templar remnant around the legend of Karic, for both good...and ill. While the charismatic Field Marshal Payton seeks control of the young mouse's legacy, the schemes of Ronan enlist intervention by the Bats of Meave to restore his own fading leadership no matter the cost!

It's hard to tell if it's celebarting or medicating, but on the heels of Rob signing a new lease, he and the boys hit the town hard in an alcohol-fueld swirl. Goth girls, trench coat Mafiosi, jock thugs, and more populate the fourth chapter of BOB FINGERMAN's so-real-it-hurts series.

The shocking events of last issue have left Richie angrier than ever. He's determined to find who has targeted someone very close to him. His journey only begins and on the way, he'll cross paths with an old friend, a pretender, a dead guy with weird tattoos, and a human bomb!

It began with two seemingly unconnected deaths: a young woman, washed up on the shore of Lake Michigan, and the Huntsman, whose death Protectors, Inc. insisted was an accident. But now the lines connecting those two events are becoming clear, and Lieutenant Detective John Riley finds himself on the edge of a conspiracy that may shatter everything the public believes about their heroes...assuming he can survive the investigation.

With Ignatio the surgically enhanced dwarf as an unexpected ally and a new face stolen from a dead dog, Griffin Franks’ luck is finally looking up! But he still has to fight his way past a gang of corrupt killer cops and get back to Hollywood if he is going to get what he wants most in the world: REVENGE!

SEX! DEATH! LIVE TV!
Michael and Kara make a major breakthrough in their unofficial investigation into the death of the man that played "Satellite Sam" as everyone’s kinks and obsessions go into overdrive—and scandal threatens to tear the show and the network apart.

Tomas and fellow freedom fighter Kurt have escaped the horror of the Mexican town La Calma and the aliens who hunted them. Or so they think. However, now at adrift at sea, a greater alien horror awaits them, with no way to destroy it and nowhere to run.

An emperor lays dead, with no successor named for his vacated throne. Visitors from a distant land discover that there is more in the world than their philosophies know. And three masked outcasts come bearing word of a coming apocalypse...

After the annihilation at the construction site Bludd tries to figure out his next move. Clown is the last place he’d seek help, but may have no alternative. Sara begins having excruciatingly demonic nightmares, but, unfortunately for Sara, her visions my not be a dream.

Duke McQueen once saved an alien world from destruction—but it happened in a place nobody believes in, during a time nobody remembers. Surrounded by memories of his late wife and his happier past, Duke’s days as a hero are long gone...or so he thinks! Now, a young visitor from the world Duke once saved is coming to him with a desperate plea for help. It’s one last chance at adventure for Duke, and another chapter to unfold in the ever-expanding Millarworld Universe!

When her niece, missing for almost a year, shows up on her doorstep with a horrifying secret, Carol Hogarth will find out that people can be poison...especially if that person is named Virginia Applejack. Find out what best friends, worst enemies, an artificial leg, and a bottle of rum all have to do with "THE KILLER WHO AWOKE BEFORE DAWN."

THE HONORVERSE EXPANDS TO COMICS!
Based on the bestselling military science fiction novels by David Weber, this original comic book series continues the story of Honor Harrington as she investigates the threat to Basilisk Station by the Republic of Haven. This series is part of a new multi-platform story world that includes a mobile game app to be released with the first issue and a feature film currently in development.

Joe has penetrated into the depths of Hell to save Laura, the woman he loves more than life itself, from a horrific fate beyond description. He's learned the Enemy's plans to bring down Heaven. They think he's cornered, trapped, neutralized. They're wrong, and by the end of this issue, the ultimate war between heaven and hell will begin...with Joe Fitzgerald right at the center of the biggest fight since the dawn of Creation.

"CHASING SHADOWS"
THE CONCLUSION TO BOOK ONE! Rascal runs from the Redguard's clutches—but it will cost her more than she can imagine! Where can she go? Who can she trust? Are you sure? Because nothing seems certain any more. And by the end of this issue, nobody will be above suspicion!

Surrounded by bloodthirsty humans, boiling in their landsuits as the sun rises, Redum Anshargal and Ukinnu Alal's team comes face to face with a primordial god. He's never killed a god before, but that doesn't mean Anshargal isn't up for trying.

The dry frontier takes another life as the pulp monster adventure continues!

"KILLING GAME," Part Four
With Zoey plotting murder once again, she needs to get close to her prey and learn all she can. That means going undercover to the Sorority Halloween party. But is Zoey the only killer in costume?